At least this tells me something for sure, the final boss of the game did exist, and he was defeated. You might see that as a given, but I wasn't so sure, as each player had there own final boss. It was what most called the main quest, and took about twenty hours to finish, you end it at level fifty five assuming you didn't do any side quests. And as such, he is kinda a push over. Though it was a bombastic as hell fight, it really gets your blood pumping. And that is coming from someone who killed him eight times. I just couldn't get over that rush, I mean fuck man, that was the best boss fight in the game by far. Even if it is only mid game. Sadly, unlike the raid bosses, he can not be fought more than once on a single character, so I had to replay the game just to experience it again. It kinda became a yearly tradition, in which I would help new players defeat the boss. I even got the nickname Saint Loctrace. As even at low levels, I performed quote on quote miracles, in truth it was just abusing the game design, and any pro could do it. But hey, I even became a part of the game's wiki, and players were recommended to hitch a ride. Those were the good times, I wonder if any of the people I helped are still playing. If they are, I should invite them to my guild, that would be cool. Though there was a lot of them, maybe a hundred and twenty, I can't possibly fill my guild up with no bodies. Expressly if I want to become number one again. See my old guild had ten of the top one hundred in it, and the currently highest guild only has four. Most high level players don't see the need to cling to guilds, unless to doing high level raids, plus most of the top one hundred are already guildmasters, and would refuse to give up there title. Titles had meaning in L&L, more than just for the players that is, not only could one with a higher title receive better quests, but they also got fairer trades in the market. It is like that, that most of the top one hundred players would refuse to enter a stronger guild, even if they could have benefited.
The current best guild goes by, Bassilick, and the second ranked guild is New World. If I remember correctly, New World only has two of the top one hundred, they are dating or something like that. The rest of there members aren't chumps though, all being above level ninety, and within the top two hundred rankings. As such they are rather small, forty members strong. Bassilick is even smaller, twenty or so members, the exact amount that is allowed in a raid, their leader was thinking of that when he made their guild. And as such if any player is inactive for more than two days they get kicked, and if they are defeated in PVP, they will be replaced by the one who defeated them. It is rather crude if you ask me, but they are number one for a reason.
My guild was just made up of people who loved the game, so I didn't feel the need to kick anyone out, that is probably why my guild failed, and I was forced to disband it. That was a vary long time ago now, but it feels like yesterday that I had my guild to my back as we conquered challenge after challenge, not one raid boss to strong, or quest to mighty.
Barely any players remember my guild now, only a few OG's like myself, and it makes sense, a lot of the best players quit around the time my guild was disbanded. They opened spots for new players to take, and take they did, showing themselves on the leader board, and winning tournaments. Out of all the players in the top one hundred who have been playing for ten years, I am the only one who still participates in tournaments. That's how I got my other nickname, gramps, rude as I am only twenty six, but who cares.
"Let's begin the preparations."
After eight hours the scout returns to me. "Enemy has been spotted in lord Vex's territory."
As predicted, what isn't predicted is the enemy force hanging in the tree line. It seems what we thought of as a core, was in fact just a fragment of their core, as such the core commander is in view. He is a red demon with long black horns, on his waist is some kind of flaming whip.
There is a math equation in the real world. You have two armies on either side of the castle, in order to take the castle both armies must move at the same time. You can send a messenger to the other army to tell them to move, but how would you know the messenger got there safely, you could guess, but that is not the point of the question. The point is, you really can't. The best answers to it are just eliminating risks. That is the embodiment of war, it is not just brilliant tactics that win a battle, but the commander who eliminates the most risks. This is not entirely true, gambles can pay off, but to be consistent, it is a good mindset.
The ground is still covered in corpses, and I want it that way, it means the traps we placed are almost impossible to see. If my estimates are correct, there could be close to a thousand of them. That is bad odds, vary bad odds. Guess I have to go all out.
"Arch, fetch me my pets."
He raises an eye brow. "All of them?"
"All of them." I glance off back the castle. Lord Drake is in no fighting state, I will sacrifice my hard earned pets for this.
Message from Harry the Fairy.
I am almost there, give me thirty minutes or so.
Harry is famously late, so his thirty minutes is my hour. I wouldn't care if there wasn't a goblin with a feathered hat running to us. He was obviously a messenger, but that doesn't change the fact he is walking on a mine field.
Boom.
The little guy gets blown to bits. This fills their commander with rage, and he issues the charge.
This time there wasn't magic raining, but there was explosions.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. The whole front line explodes into flames, even the living armors explode into dust. These won't magic explosions after all, but a five percent drop in the golem battle field, land mines.
Boom, boom, boom.
Dozens of mines explode, and the army's morale visibly falters. They couldn't see where the attacks were coming from, so their soldiers began to fear each step.
The ten Supreme guild members line the wall, in their hands a stick that has a metal tube at the end. Bang, bang, bang. There guns shoot, and the men fall.
These are primitive guns, the higher your level the more damage they do.
Even what appears to be their elites, drop with a single shot, still they take thirty seconds to reload, so it is not like they're broken. That is why I prepared this. Archers shoot, but this time they weren't no pathetic bows, but instead epic items, bow of artemis, the arrows literally can't miss, but it breaks in ten uses. I wish I made an archer build, rain of arrows, or scatter shot would have killed so many of them. Luckily I was grinding artemis for his legendary drop, Artemis's talisman. So I have a shit ton of these things. Thought of giving them to tickle, but he was barely on at the time. And I couldn't bear selling such an item on the shop. Turns out it came to help me.
It was like this that there men began to flee, running from invisible explosions, thunderest gun fire, and arrows that can't be dodged.
The commander tried to rally his men, but it seemed hopeless. That is, until a true boss came out. A hill giant, one of highest health creatures that are not bosses. The men rallied around it, and the giant began its charge. I saw it hiding in the tree line earlier, but thought nothing of it, turns out it is a named giant. Also known as a boss.
The earth shakes, as it plows through the mind field like some kind of unstoppable tank. Boom, boom, boom. The explosions still go off, but now they are fruitless. Following behind there commander, the demon leads the armored men.
This kinda made me shit bricks, but I threw my hand in the air, causing magic to arch just over my head.
10
10
12
15
The spells are doing jack to the big lug as he makes it to the wall, his club slamming into it, causing it to collapse in on itself, the supreme guild member still standing there, gets crushed in the rubble.
Damn this my sword tickles its leg.
4
Must I be so useless. It was as I thought this, that a spear rips a whole through its left leg, causing it to fall to one knee. I glance at Sophia, and a club bashes into me.
The sensation of flight, it is something races with out wings should never experience, but here I am flying, now I am falling. Bam, I hit into a tree, it breaks in half falling into two pieces.
My body aches, but I still force myself back to my feet, just in time for a whip to skid past my helmet.
-2
It seems I will not just be allowed to return to the city. The demon, I can't see his level. Makes sense, I also couldn't see the boss's level. Sophia won't be able to kill it alone, I need to get back.
The demon won't make that easy, it is at times like these that I regret picking a tank.
His whip flys, smacking me again.
-2
Though he really can't kill me, and that must be aggravating. My estimates, level 165, not even higher than the mobs you can see in game. That doesn't make killing him easy, I am at a class disadvantage after all.
The triangle system.
Ranged beats tanks, tanks beat melee, and melee beats ranged. That is the theory behind it, but in all truth it is hogwash. The base of the theory comes from the tanks' less than average speed, and their inability to get dash skills. But what I have found is that range is just a little more annoying.
Pluss, I am not in the game anymore. I grab a dagger from my inventory. At the exact moment he swings his whip I throw it, cutting the whip in two, half of it wrapping around my head like some kind of snake. I toss it off, and the demon throws his to the ground as well. Now it looks like I have the class advantage.
Or, perhaps I spoke too soon.
I dodge the fire ball by an inch, closing the gap with unstable steps. Repeat pieces. I stab through the next fire ball, and into his hard head.
30
Damn, that was one of my best skill, and it was a critical, yet he is barely injured.
The demon laughs at my damage, like he felt like a fool for being afraid of me. His claws swiping into my sword, and knocking it aside. Here it comes, demonic claws. It collides with my helmet, ripping into the armor, and cutting my cheek.
-70
-10
-10
-10
Damn I have been poisoned, that is only a one and ten chance too. He is effectively negating my regen, if it was planed I would call him a genius, but as it was pure luck, I would call him a noob. There is something he didn't know anyways, I wasn't just closing the gap to attack, instead… BOOM. My body combusts into an explosion of fire, both me and the demon get turned ash.
As if it was a magic show, that ash begins to reform, turning itself back into a naked man.
I rub my head, nausea rushing over me.
Level 113 +2 level 115
Grabbing out my armor, I slide it back on.
I sacrificed my third best set for that move, the red knight's set. I have a spare so it doesn't make me too sad, but I worked hard for it.
More importantly, I began running back to the city. Though my run is another jog.
The giant has run havoc in my absence, and half the city lays in ruin, still thanks to the work of everyone, all but one of their army has been slain. The giant waves his club in desperate arcs.
It is easy to forget, but Sophia was not alone, she had her guild mates, and my knights at her side. And like this the giant fell, and the day was won.
"Report." Nick stands before me with shaky hands.
"Uh?" He rummages through his pockets. "Twenty dead, eight wounded." He grabs hold of what he was looking for, handing me a note. "This should grant us free entry to the church."
In the game death would come with no penalties, but here there is a loss of level, and your items can be destroyed. Hell the pain they went through means they won't be in fighting order for a while." I go around grabbing their souls, taking them to the church, where I am met by a priestly old man.
"Loctrace?" He glances at me, letting me in even without the note.
It is the first time I visited the church outside of the game. It is what one would expect, except for the spiraling ray of light. Releasing their souls, I watch their bodies form anew. It was rather mesmerising. Not that I could just sit and stare.